


Manticore's Morning

by Hariti Khatri (EnderDracolich)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Flash Fic, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-23 00:48:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23003086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnderDracolich/pseuds/Hariti%20Khatri
Summary: A very short flash fiction slice-of-life story about a manticore going about her morning.





	Manticore's Morning

Ameretat's eyelids fluttered and opened. The manticore's nictating membranes peeled back and left her staring into the early morning shadows. The sun had not yet risen over the valley. Her golden, leonine eyes scanned her lair sleepily, and she rose to her feet and shook herself, momentarily raising her quills and sending tufts of loose red fur into the air. She yawned widely, showing her three rows of sharp fangs, before trotting outside. 

The jungle air was already beginning to warm up; birds called out from high tree-branches and insects buzzed all around. The manticore smiled, perfectly comfortable and content with herself. She was the queen of this jungle, a predator to all and prey to none. She could smell many scents on the wind; the fearsome tiger, the venerable elephant, the timid deer, and many other beasts, as well as dozens of kinds of flowers and fruits. 

The manticore trotted further from her lair and settled down on the edge of a precipice, overlooking the valley, and couldn't help but feel awe at her surroundings. As the sun slowly rose and peaked over the mountains, Ameretat lifted her head to the sky and called out, loosing a terrible roar that was like a trumpet mixed with a flute. Her cry shook the trees and echoed across the valley. After her roar, she said a soft prayer under her breath, thanking the creator for bringing another sunrise and driving away the darkness of the night.

As finished her prayer, she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. She turned to see what creature had dared disturb her. She watched as a young elephant stumbled from the bushes. She smiled at the sight but froze as the elephant's mother appeared from the trees. The adult was solid white, the color of new-fallen snow, and stared impassively at the manticore. Ameretat averted her gaze and lowered herself to the ground, supplicating before the sacred beast, and waited silently as the pair went past.


End file.
